Lodge 49 — Eric Allan Kramer (Scott)

Eric Allan Kramer, who plays Scott on AMC’s Lodge 49, discusses why everything in Scott’s life centers around Connie’s happiness, Scott’s tensions with Ernie, and why he’s so desperate to become Sovereign Protector.

Q: What about the Lodge 49 scripts spoke to you?

A: I wound up binge-reading the episodes until about three in the morning. I would get to the end of one script and get on to the next one. I was completely engaged and in that world. I had to know what was coming next. It was really exciting to realize the extent and the depth of the world of the characters that I was about to be a part of.

Q: How would you describe Scott? How important is the lodge in his life?

A: For the most part, Scott finds himself on the outside looking in. His father was a part of the lodge and he was sort of grandfathered in. As a lodge member, I think he’s always trying to force himself in. Scott is absolutely someone you want to have at the lodge. He works hard, wants to make sure it’s running smoothly and will do anything to get stuff done, but Scott definitely plays by his own set of rules. He wants to be the best he can be, but he has a set of rules that he lives by which sometimes get in the way of that. He’s a guy that doesn’t really bend. With Scott, it’s a question of when he’s going to break.

Q: Is there some insecurity in Scott that he’s not living up to his potential?

A: As far as personal journeys go, Scott actually has the furthest to go. He probably has the hardest journey out of anyone on the show. He’s built up this version of how he feels he should live his life. Within that, Scott has had a life of not feeling like he was good enough, but because he’s one to push as opposed to step back, that’s always caused problems for him: “You don’t like me, I’m going to make you like me.” [Laughs]

A: There is a large part of Scott that believes in honor and duty and the idea of being a knight. He feels that’s how he should live his life. Certainly, when it comes to Connie, he wants to ride in and save the day. Linda [Emond] and I put a lot of work into that relationship and what it would be, and why you’d stay with someone when you walk in the lodge and discover the love of your life from high school. It’s more than honor. They actually do have a really good relationship. They have fun. Scott provides a sense of security and safety for Connie, and Connie is somebody that can see the insecurities in Scott and can pull him back. They help each other. It’s not just a relationship that revolves around duty.

Q:How hard has it been for him to deal with Connie’s illness?

A: Because of his personality, Scott sees the end. He sees this whole thing as having a time limit on it. Out of a sense of honor and truly feeling love for this woman, whatever time he feels she has left, he wants to be sure she’s happy. Scott feels he needs to take the lead instead of the journey being mutual.

Q: What does Scott really think of Ernie? Why do you think he’s so competitive with him?

A: Outside of the lodge, I honestly don’t know if Scott and Ernie would even be friends. Their lives are just too different. Because they are both a part of the lodge and want it to succeed and they both have dreams of moving up, it creates a competition between the two – maybe more so on Scott’s side. It gets in the way of absolutely everything. Everything they do together has that edge, whether it’s baseball or having enough pancake mix. Scott wants to look like he’s more on top of things.

Q: In Episode 8, Scott makes it clear he feels he deserves to be Sovereign Protector. Why is it so important to him to have his picture on that wall?

A: It’s the only thing that Scott has left. He had a relationship and he thought he could be really happy in that, and now that’s being taken away from him. He always felt he was being looked down on at the lodge and that everyone was keeping him around because of his dad. Everything just builds to a point where that’s the only thing in Scott’s life that he has left to reach for. Even if it’s only for a day before the lodge closes, then he’s at least had that. It’s a position Scott feels he deserves. It’s not just that he wants it — he feels he’s earned it.

Q: How worried is Scott that Connie seems to be blowing off her treatment?

A: Scott may see an end date to this, but he doesn’t want her to see an end date to this. Part of him wanting to be there for her is to fill her with hope and to make her feel like there is a chance that this all goes away and it’s all going to be good. You have to remember that Scott isn’t stupid. He’s not a dumb guy. Through all his faults, he sees pretty clearly what’s going on around him. When he sees Connie start to slide, he starts to put everything together in his head and comes up with the only solution he feels is left to save her.

Q: Speaking of that solution, what was your reaction when you learned that Scott has known about Connie and Ernie’s affair all along?

A: I may be lying when I say this, but I don’t think I knew until I read the line. I may have been given a heads up, but I distinctly remember reading the script. You get the script a week before and you go into the makeup trailer and everybody goes, “Oh my God. Have you read it?” I remember getting to that line and just going, “Of course he knows. He had to know.” Otherwise, events would have played much differently up until this point. In a weird way, it was reassuring for me to know I was on the right track with Scott.

Q: Why do you think he’s kept quiet about it? Does he think asking Ernie to resume the affair is in Connie’s best interest?

A: Exactly: “Connie needs to be happy, so it’s OK. In order for her to have this, I can’t let on.” He just kept it quiet. It all comes back to Connie. It’s completely natural for him to put people ahead of himself – maybe with the exception of Ernie. [Laughs] At the end of that episode, there’s a weird “I got you” moment for Scott where it’s like “You didn’t think I knew? I knew!” In Scott’s mind, it almost makes him the better man in that relationship with Ernie. The tragedy of that is that once Scott vocalizes that, now Scott can openly feel all those feelings he has when Connie doesn’t come home until later in the evening or is gone all day. I honestly believe Scott thinks he’s the better man and is the better person for her. If suddenly Connie were to be completely OK, then all the rules change.

Q: How much fun was it to beat the crap out of those drums? What do you think that scene says about Scott?

A: I had never played drums up until the show. I played guitar. When I went in, I knew Scott was a drummer. When we had initial meetings about it, I thought they would just make Scott a guitar player. I remember sitting down for one of the first meetings and the first thing out of their mouths was, “Well, we have to get you some drum lessons.” So, I actually went to Guitar Center and had a great instructor. I had maybe six weeks of lessons to try to look like I could find my way around a kit. What made that container scene so much fun yet so intense for Scott is that it quickly became apparent to me that it’s not a drum solo. It’s Scott working out the dilemma in his head. A lot of that sweat was real! [Laughs]

Q: Do you have favorite moment or memory from this season?

A: One of my favorite moments in that whole shoot was actually working with Linda on a scene that got cut. She and I got together and worked out a whole backstory and talked about our characters and found this great rhythm. We wound up shooting that scene and it was one of the most enjoyable scenes I’ve worked on for a long time. For me, that was a moment that anchored me in the show. The character was working, the relationship was working. I felt really good about the scene. It all came together and I remember driving back to my loft that night and feeling great about being there and being a part of this project. I’ve told friends before that regardless of what I do in the future or what I’ve done, I can always point to Lodge 49 on my resume and say, “At least I was a part of that.”